LEROY: Red Raiders hope QB Mahomes is ready to go vs. Baylor

Published 7:13 pm, Friday, October 2, 2015

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes warms up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes warms up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Photo: LM Otero/AP

LEROY: Red Raiders hope QB Mahomes is ready to go vs. Baylor

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Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury — following in the footsteps of one of his mentors, Bill Belichick — has been vague when discussing the injury to starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his availability today against No. 5-ranked Baylor.

What’s known for sure, though, is that Mahomes injured a knee during the first half of TCU’s 55-52 win over the Red Raiders in Lubbock last Saturday.

During his radio show Thursday on Lubbock’s Double T 104.3, Kingsbury didn’t know for sure if the sophomore would be ready to go against the high-flying, high-scoring Bears (3-0, 0-0 in Big 12) today at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium. The game is set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

“We’re working through it,” he said. “We’re trying to get his knee to loosen up and see if we can get him back to 100 percent.”

If Mahomes can’t go, that would mean junior and former starter Davis Webb will get the start. Kingsbury said he has a lot of faith in Webb, who could be called one of the best backups in the country.

Still, without Mahomes, the Red Raiders (3-1, 0-1 in Big 12) don’t tend to have that same spark. And remember: Mahomes threw for a Big 12 record 598 yards and six touchdowns in last year’s 48-46 win by Baylor.

Webb has shown he has the ability to be a very good quarterback, but he’s also had his Mr. Hyde moments and tends to lose confidence when things don’t go very well.

Even with Mahomes not being anywhere close to 100 percent in the second half against the Horned Frogs, the Red Raiders believed they had the chance to pull the upset.

“I’ve never seen him injured like that. And he didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want the trainers to look at it,” said Kingsbury about his quarterback, who relies on his mobility to make and extend plays. “(He) kind of stood by himself, just hung in there and kept making throws and gave us a chance at the end.

“He ran for a couple of first downs, kind of limping around. That shows his teammates what he’s all about, and it fires them up.”

Added senior center Jared Kaster: “It motivates us to see a guy go out there and do what he does during a stress time like that. It motivates you and keeps you going for the rest of the game.”

The Red Raiders are going to need all the spark they can get going up against the top offense in the country as the Bears are averaging an astonishing 767 yards and 64 points per game.

And while the Bears don’t have a receiver as big and as talented as TCU’s Josh Doctson, Corey Coleman and KD Cannon are fast and athletic.

“They’re all fast,” Tech defensive coordinator David Gibbs said. “They have an Olympic — what you call those — relay team out there playing wide receiver. I thought TCU’s were fast. We’re in trouble.”

Both teams are going to score, and Vegas has an over/under of 90.5, the highest ever set for a college football game. My pick: Baylor 63, Texas Tech 48.

Here are my Big 12 power rankings for this week:

1. Baylor (3-0, 0-0): The Bears have been rightfully destroying the cupcakes on their schedule, but Texas Tech provides their biggest test so far.

2. TCU (4-0, 1-0): The Horned Frogs survived the Lubbock test, but as long as their offense continues to produce, they’ll win a lot. They host Texas today.

3. Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0): The Sooners will be tested by West Virginia today. Can Baker Mayfield continue his hot play under pressure?

4. West Virginia (3-0, 0-0): The Mountaineers have been blasting their opponents, but we should find out a lot about them when they take on the Sooners in Norman.

5. Oklahoma State (4-0, 1-0): The Cowboys were fortunate to survive last week against Texas, and QB Mason Rudolph had one of his worst games of his young career. Kansas State comes to Stillwater today and should again test the Cowboys.

6. Kansas State (3-0, 0-0): The Wildcats never really look that good early in the season. But remember: Bill Snyder-coached teams always seem to get better as the season goes on.

7. Texas Tech (3-1, 0-1): The Red Raiders were on the cusp of knocking off TCU, but good teams find ways to win. Red Raiders have improved but also have shown there’s work to do.

8. Texas (1-3, 0-1): Good teams find ways to win and the Longhorns are not in that category as they continue to find ways to lose. It certainly doesn’t get any easier today when they go to TCU.

9. Iowa State (1-2, 0-0): The Cyclones can stay out of the cellar with a win against Kansas today.

10. Kansas (0-3, 0-0): The Jayhawks pretty much know where they belong.